Clamp.



J. W. BASOM.

CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 6, 1913.

Patented June 23, 1914.

JAMES W. BASOM, OF NEWTON, KANSAS.

CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 8, 1913.

Patented June 23, 1914,. Serial No. 793,626.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns W. BASOM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newton, in the county of Harvey and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in lifting jack attachments, the primary object of my invention being an attachment which may be employed to hold one of two bodies against movement while the other body is raised from the one so held. In other words, the device may be best termed a jack clamp. In raising car trucks by the insertion of a jack under one of the bearing boxes, as is now the custom to permit rebrassing of the journals, it is found that the adjacent wheel, unless held to the rail by outside means, will raise with the trucks and thus prevent freeing of the brasses. I-Ieretofore this diificulty has been obviated by applying jacks to both sides of the trucks and so simultaneously raising the entire truck instead of tilting up one side thereof. In other instances, the ditficulty has been overcome by placing blocks under one journal box previousvto the raising of the opposite journal box. Both of these methods are open to many objections, chief among which are the loss of time and the necessity of a larger operating crew.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a device which may be used in connection with any conventional form of lifting jack and which when used will firmly clamp the adjacent wheel to the rail and thus hold therwheel in position during raising of the truck.

A further object of my invention is to so construct the attachment that it may be adjusted for use irrespective of whether the jack is seated upon a tie, a platform on a level with the head of the rail, or in any other position. With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional form of jack, showing one form of my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of the form of jack clamp shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the jack clamp, showing certain details of construction of the movable clamp member; Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view taken through the pawl carrying pivot of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an elevational View, partially in section, of a conventional form of car truck, showing the jack and its attachment in use, the jack being supported upon one of the rail supporting ties; Fig. 6 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 5, but showing the jack supported upon a platform level with the top of the rail; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a slightly modified form of jack clamp.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

In order to insure a clear understanding a of the operation of my jack clamp, I have illustrated the same, in both forms, in con nection with a conventional form of lifting jack 10 including a base 11 and a relatively movable lifting member 12 mounted for movement toward and away from the base and actuated by a ratchet lever 13.

My improved jack clamp includes a supporting base 14 provided at one end with an upstanding body portion 15 provided at its vertical edges with laterally directed undercut shoulders 16 forming a guideway or slide 17 for an adjustable clamp member, indicated as a whole by the numeral 18. The guideway or slide 17 is channeled centrally as shown at 19 to receive a ratchet toothed rack bar 20 preferably formed of hardened steel and secured in place by tapped bolts 21, the heads of which are seated in recesses formed in the rack bar. The base and body portion 15 are preferably formed integrally with each other but may be separably formed and bolted together, if preferred.

The clamp member, indicated as a whole by the numeral 18, includes a body portion 22 which is slidable between the shoulders 16, being held against disengagement from the guideway by laterally directed shoulders 23 seating in the undercut channels of the shoulders 16 of the body member 15. This body member 22 terminates at one end in a laterally directed clamp lug 24, both the inner and outer faces of which are preferably somewhat rounded as shown.

The body portion 22 of the clamp member is provided intermediate its length with extends through a vertically formed slot 30.

of the body member 22 in position to engage the teeth of the rack bar, the upper and lower walls of the slot 30 converging from each other to permit the pawl to be swung to direct its tooth engaging finger either toward that end of the body member having clamp lug or toward the other end, as preferred.

The outer face of the body member 22,

I immediately above and below the slot 30, is

provided with shallow recesses 31 to receive leaf springs 32, the inner ends of which extendacross portions of the slot to engage against the cylindrical hub or body portion of the pawl 27. These leaf springs are held in place by bolts 34:.

An inspection of the pawl. and springs, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, will at once disclose the fact that irrespective of which of the two positions the pawl 27 may occupy, both springs will be tending to urge its tooth engaging finger 29 into engagement with the teeth of the rack bar, the leaf springs normally being straight.

If desired, the construction of the jack clamp may be slightly modified, as shown in Fig. 5. In this form of jack clamp, the base or platform 14L of the clamp is omitted and the body portion of the clamp provided with flanges 35 through which are passed threaded bolts 36, the bolts being threaded into the fixed portion or base of the lifting jack. The construction otherwise is the same as that previously described.

The operation of my improved jack clamp may be readily understood from an inspection of Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings and practically no description of the same is therefore deemed necessary. With a jack clamp of the type set forth in Fig. 1, the jack clamp is positioned upon either the tie or platform beneath the bearing box 37 of that truck 38 which is to be raised. The clamp member 18 is then raised or lowered by release of the pawl 27 until the clamp lug 24- will seat upon the lower portion of the outer rim 39 of the adjacent car wheel 40. The jack is then placed upon the base 14 of the jack clamp and operated in the usual manner to exert upward pressure upon the bearing box 37 and so tilt the truck as shown in the figures to permit withdrawal and replacement of the brasses ell. The jack holds the jack clamp against upward movement during this operation and therefore inasmuch as the jack clamp is in engagement with the wheel, it will be clear that the wheel cannot leave the rail.

If the car is on a track running through a platform-on a level with the tops of the rails, it may be necessary to entirely remove the clamp member 28 by sliding the same from the top of the guides and to invert the same to the position shown in Fig. 6 in order to bring the clamp lug to a low enough position to engage the wheel rim. The opposite faces of the clamp lug 24 are rounded as previously described in order to conform somewhat to the internal curvature of the wheel rim and insure a more firm clamping engagement therewith.

lVith the form of clamp jack illustrated in Fig. 5, it will of course be apparent that the jack is merely positioned as usual on the bearing box and the clamping member slipped into engagement with the wheel rim after which the operation is thesame as that previously described.

It will of course be understood that I do I I not wish in any way to limit myself to the i specific details of construction illustrated in the drawings and described in the foregoing specification as various changes in details of construction, within the scope of the appended claims may be made atany time without in the slightest degree departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An attachment for lifting jacks includ! movement, and a laterally directed clamp lug extending from one end of the body member, said pawl being reversibly mounted to permit reversal of the body member in the guideway.

2. An attachment for lifting jacks including a vertical guideway adapted to be secured against movement with respect to a jack and having vertical undercut shoulders and a vertical channel between the shoulders, a rack bar secured in the channel and lying flush with that face of the guideway between the shoulders, a body slidable in the guideway between the shoulders and provided at one end with a laterally directed lug, said body being reversible in the guideway to position the lug at eitherend thereof, and means carried by the body and engageable with the rack teeth to limit upward movement of the body with respect to the guideway.

3. An attachment for lifting jacks including a vertical guideway adapted to be secured against movement with respect to a jack and having vertical undercut shoulders and a vertical channel between the shoulders, a rack bar secured in the channel and lying flush with that face of the .guideway between the shoulders, a body slidable in the guideway between the shoulders and provided at one end with a laterally directed lug, said body being reversible in the guideway to position the lug at either end thereof, and. means carried by the body and engageable with the rack teeth to limit upward movement of the body with respect to the guideway, said means being reversible upon reversal of the body in the guideway.

4. An attachment for lifting jacks including a vertical guide-way adapted to be secured against movement with respect to a jack and having vertical undercut shoulders and a vertical channel between the shoulders, a rack bar secured in the channel and lying flush with that face of the guideway between the shoulders, a body slidable in the guideway between the shoulders and provided at one end with a laterally directed lug, said body being reversible in the guideway to position the lug at either end thereof, and means carried by the body and engageable with the rack teeth to limit upward movement of the body with respect to the guideway, said means including a pawl swingingly mounted in a slot formed in the body to permit swinging of its active end toward either end of the body, and springs tending in either position of the pawl to hold its active end at the rear of the body.

5. An attachment for lifting jacks including a vertical guideway adapted to be secured .against movement with respect to a jack and having vertical undercut shoulders and a vertical channel between the shoulders, a rack bar secured in the channel and lying flush with that face of the guideway between the shoulders, a body slidable in the guideway between the shoulders and provided at one end with a laterally directed lug, said body being reversible in the guideway to position the lug at either end thereof, and means carried by the body and engageable with the rack teeth to limit upward movement of the body with respect to the guideway, said means including a pawl provided intermediate its length with a cylindrical hub portion, the pawl extending through a slot formed in the body and being pivoted at its hub portion, and leaf springs secured to the outer face of the body member and bearing at their free ends against the hub portion.

In testimony whereof I .aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES w. BASOM. 1 8.]

Witnesses:

L. G. PALMER, ORBIE D. JOHNSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

